World Golf Tour

Golf Talk Live - Arnold Palmer Transcript Segment 2

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PETER KESSLER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MISSED THE FINAL ROUND OF THE AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM TODAY, ON MONDAY,

WE WILL RE-AIR IT TOMORROW NIGHT AT 9 PM ON THE GOLF CHANNEL FROM ARNOLD'S GOLF COURSE, PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS.

ARNOLD PALMER THANKS. (SAYS WHILE LAUGHING)

PETER KESSLER YOU'RE WELCOME. NOW LOOK, IF YOU .

ARNOLD PALMER I KIND OF WISH (LAUGH) .

BUT IT ISN'T BAD.

PETER KESSLER IT'S YOURS NOW.

ARNOLD PALMER NO. IT'S A LOT .

PETER KESSLER IT'S PARTLY YOURS.

ARNOLD PALMER OF PEOPLE'S.

PETER KESSLER NOW IF YOU AND I ARE SITTING HERE TOGETHER AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR SIXTH YEAR, DOES THIS MEAN THAT THE HEALTH OF THE GOLF CHANNEL IS REASONABLY GOOD?

ARNOLD PALMER OH, THE GOLF CHANNEL IS FANTASTIC. AND I'M SO PROUD OF JOE GIBBS, NUMBER ONE, BECAUSE WHAT HE DID AND HOW HE GOT ME INTO THIS AND MADE IT ALL HAPPEN, AND UH,

TO THINK THAT I'VE BEEN CHAIRMAN OF THIS ORGANIZATION FOR GOING NOW INTO THE SIXTH YEAR, AND WATCHING WHAT JOE GIBBS HAS DONE WITH THIS BUSINESS,

IS FANTASTIC. AND IT'S NOT JUST FANTASTIC BECAUSE UH IT'S GOLF. IT'S FANTASTIC WE SATISFY AND THE GOLF CHANNEL HAS SATISFIED SO MANY PEOPLE.

I - THE ONE THING I HEAR A LOT, PETER, IS .

'THANKS FOR THE GOLF CHANNEL. WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY ENJOY WATCHING ON TELEVISION.' NOW THAT MAY NOT SOUND LIKE A BIG STATEMENT.

BUT IT IS A BIG STATEMENT WHEN YOU THINK OF ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE ON TELEVISION TODAY. AND THERE ARE MORE BULLETS IN MY ROOM IN THE WALLS THAN YOU CAN EVER FACE FROM GUNS GOING OFF AND EVERYTHING.

THE GOLF CHANNEL HAS A SOFT APPEAL TO PEOPLE AND NOT JUST GOLFERS. AND THAT'S WHAT I LIKE EVEN MORE ABOUT IT.

AND OF COURSE, THERE'S A BUSINESS TOO UH, THE BUSINESS OF ADVERTISING. AND WE'RE HITTING THE NUCLEUS OF THAT BUSINESS. WE'RE HITTING THE PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.

AND THAT'S NICE TOO. ALL IN ALL UH, I GIVE EVERY EMPLOYEE OF THE GOLF CHANNEL JUST TREMENDOUS CREDIT. AND YOU, MY FRIEND, HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB.

AND PEOPLE TALK TO ME ABOUT YOU AND ARE WE GONNA KEEP PETER ON THE GOLF CHANNEL? I SAID, 'I'M GONNA . I GOT A ROPE AROUND HIS NECK. I'M GONNA KEEP HIM THERE.'

PETER KESSLER YES, YOU DO. AND YOU DON'T NEED TO HOLD IT REAL TIGHT `CAUSE I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

ARNOLD PALMER WELL, IT - WHAT YOU DO IS FANTASTIC AND . AND WE ALL KNOW THAT. AND THE PEOPLE THAT WORK AT THE GOLF CHANNEL, THE ENTHUSIASM, AND THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC.

AND BOTH JOE AND I ARE VERY AWARE OF IT AND MOST APPRECIATIVE OF IT.

PETER KESSLER WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE WHAT WE DO BETTER AT THE GOLF CHANNEL, ALWAYS TRYING TO IMPROVE. WHAT DO YOU SEE DOWN THE ROAD IF SOMETHING'S GOING TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER?

WILL WE GET MORE PRESTIGIOUS GOLF TOURNAMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE?

ARNOLD PALMER WELL NOW, PETER, YOU KNOW ME WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW I'M A DREAMER.

PETER KESSLER THAT'S WHY I WANT TO HEAR A COUPLE. (LAUGH)

ARNOLD PALMER AND I HAVE ALL KIND OF THOUGHTS. AND UH . AND WE KIND OF GET IN ROOMS AND TALK ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN THE UH YEARS TO COME.

RIGHT NOW, THE GOLF CHANNEL IS MOVING ALONG SMOOTHLY. WE'VE GOT RIGHTS FEES. WE'VE GOT UH SHOWS THAT ARE TOUGH TO DO. BUT YOU JUST - YOU JUST DID SOMETHING

THAT UH . AND THIS IS COMPETITIVE. LET'S LOOK AT IT FROM A COMPETITIVE STANDPOINT. AND THAT IS THAT UH, SOME OF THE LOCAL AFFILIATES DIDN'T CARRY THE CROSBY TODAY.

OR THE CROSBY, NOW AM I DATING MYSELF? (LAUGH)

PETER KESSLER NOT AT ALL, MOST OF US STILL CALL IT THAT.

ARNOLD PALMER WELL, THE AT&T, IF YOU WISH UH, BUT UH, PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM, ALL KINDS OF NAMES. BUT, YOU KNOW .

AMERICA IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE GOLF ORIENTED. NOW OPRAH'S GREAT AND I LOVE HER. BUT HERE YOU HAVE ONE OF THE - ONE OF THE BIG EVENTS IN SPORTS GOING ON

AND THEY AVOIDED IT. THEY WENT TO ANOTHER SHOW. THAT IS OUR OPPORTUNITY, WHAT YOU JUST SAID. WE'RE GONNA CARRY THAT SHOW.

AND WE'RE GONNA GIVE EVERYONE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE IT. THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE WHAT LITTLE ADVANTAGE WE HAVE OVER THE BIG GUYS THAT GIVES US A SHOT.

AND IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE PEOPLE - SEE TIGER WIN HIS SIXTH TOURNAMENT IN A ROW. AND I THINK THAT'S WONDERFUL. AND THAT'S WHAT WE STAND FOR.

WE STAND FOR PEOPLE THAT LIKE GOLF, WANT TO SEE SOMETHING SOFT AND NICE IN SPORTS AND SEE SOME COMPETITIVENESS TOO, AND DON'T THINK THERE WASN'T A LOT OF IT OUT THERE TODAY.

PETER KESSLER YOU ONCE SAID TO ME THAT YOU WANTED TO LEAVE A PATH FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW AND THAT JACK FOLLOWED THAT PATH.

IT SEEMS LIKE TODAY THAT TIGER'S FIGURED OUT A WAY TO COMBINE A COUPLE OF YOURS AND JACK'S STRENGTH INTO ONE PLAYER, KEEPS IT IN PLAY LIKE JACK, CHARGES LIKE YOU.

WHAT ABOUT THE PATH THAT HE'S SETTING TODAY?

ARNOLD PALMER WELL, HE'S . IT'S AMAZING. I MEAN, YOU THINK ABOUT IT, HE'S 24 YEARS OLD. AND HE'S ALREADY GOT A PATH UH IN BACK OF HIM.

AND UH, IF HE CONTINUES, AND I CAN'T SEE ANY REASON IN THE WORLD WHY HE CAN'T, YOU KNOW, I WAS NOT EVEN A - I WAS NOT PLAYING PROFESSIONAL GOLF WHEN I WAS 24 YEARS OLD.

AND UH, HE IS UH .

HE'S DRAWING A LINE AND IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH TO - FOR ANYONE TO IN - THAT I SEE RIGHT NOW, TO TOUCH HIM. AND UH, IF HE KEEPS HIS MIND ABOUT HIS BUSINESS AND ENJOYS THE GAME WHICH .

YOU KNOW, EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT TIGER WOODS AND THEY TALK ABOUT NUMEROUS THINGS. BUT RARELY DO THEY TALK ABOUT HOW STRONG HE IS AND HOW WELL HE SWINGS THE CLUB.

PETER KESSLER AND HOW MUCH HE'S IMPROVED.

ARNOLD PALMER AND HOW MUCH HE'S IMPROVED PERSONALLY.

NOW HE HAS MADE A TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT PERSONALLY. AND I AM ONE OF HIS BIGGEST CRITICS AND HE KNOWS THAT.

BUT WHEN HE DOES THE THINGS THAT HE KNOWS THAT WE THINK ABOUT, AND DOES THEM VERY WELL, IT'S ONLY IN HIS BEST INTEREST. AND UH, HE'S DOING THEM BETTER.

AND HE'S GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER ALL THE TIME. AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT BAD. THAT'S PRETTY GOOD FOR GOLF .

BECAUSE IT ATTRACTS ATTENTION. HE'S ATTRACTING ATTENTION. AND HE HAS TO KNOW THAT AND HE HAS TO KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT. AND AT 24 YEARS OLD, THAT'S TOUGH.

BELIEVE ME, THAT'S TOUGH BECAUSE YOU GOT A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING TO YOU AND YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF THINGS YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU'RE 24 YEARS OLD BESIDES PLAY GOLF, LET'S SAY.

SO IT'S NOT EASY. BUT HE'S DOING IT PRETTY WELL RIGHT NOW. AND UH, I'M NOT TOTALLY GIVING HIM A CLEAN BILL YET. BUT UH, HE'S GETTING BETTER AND BETTER ABOUT IT.

PETER KESSLER AS WE GO TO BREAK, LET'S LOOK AT A LITTLE COMPARISON OF YOUR 1960 AND HIS 1999. AND AS WE MENTIONED JUST A COUPLE MINUTES AGO, SAME NUMBER OF WINS, 8.

ARNOLD WON 2 MAJORS, JUST MISSED THE THIRD LEG OF THE SLAM BY A SHOT. FIRST IN EARNINGS, BOTH OF THEM. AND A VERY SMALL DISPARITY IN THE PAY, 75 THOUSAND VERSUS 6.6 MILLION.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.

(BREAK)

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